As part of a revised budget to address a $12 billion shortfall in the upcoming year, Gov. Gavin Newsom included a request to streamline the Delta Conveyance Project, calling it one of California’s most important water management and climate adaptation initiatives.
The move sparked pushback from environmental groups and other stakeholders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay,” Newsom said in a statement. “Let’s get this built.”
Under Newsom’s changes, if tunnel building proposals meet all administrative standards, counties would not be required to approve permits, according to Ryan Endean, spokesperson for the California Department of Water Resources. That same “ministerial” process could be used to acquire land, “thus avoiding project delays and unsuccessful negotiations associated with having to acquire property under eminent domain,” Endean said.
The new proposals would include time limits to file and resolve litigation. They would prevent lawsuits from halting construction during resolution (except in cases of public health and safety), Endean said.
The proposals would remove the use time limit on the State Water Project’s water rights permit. “Generally, when the State Water Board issues a water rights permit, it includes a length of time for the party to fully use the water. When that time is reached, the water right holder can request an extension for more time, or the upper limits are capped at the amount that has been used historically,” said Endean.
The Department of Water Resources funds State Water Project construction costs by issuing revenue bonds. The SWP is funded by the 29 agencies that receive water from the project.
“For the Delta Conveyance Project, that revenue will be provided only by the participating agencies,” said Endean. “The State’s general fund is not responsible for any construction costs.”
Fishermen and farmers push back
Opposition comes from groups who fear the tunnel will damage Delta ecosystems and the livelihoods of Delta farmers and tribes. According to an analysis by the nonprofit Golden State Salmon Association, spring-run Chinook salmon have experienced a 95% decline due to the diversion of cold-water flows in Central Valley salmon rivers.
“Commercial salmon fishing has been shut down for three straight years because of crashing salmon runs,” said Scott Artis, executive director of the salmon association. “Now the governor is proposing to slash protections to build the biggest salmon-killing project in the state. Smart water agencies know that there’s a far better source of abundant climate-smart water supply — water recycling, water use efficiency, stormwater capture, groundwater storage, and more.”
The tunnel will be an extension of the State Water Project, a 700-mile system of aqueducts and canals. Built in the 1960s, the massive delivery system has so far contributed to the state’s water resiliency by capturing and delivering water to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland.
The intake for the system is currently located near the city of Tracy. The tunnel would add two additional intake points 45 miles north at the Sacramento River. During high water events, it could siphon up to 6,000 cubic feet of water per second and move it by gravity beneath the Delta, where it would be sent to southern and central California.
The 60-year-old State Water Project will need more than a tunnel to continue working effectively.
On May 6, the Department of Water Resources announced that the aqueducts of the SWP are growing so misshaped through excessive groundwater pumping by Central Valley farmers that it is reducing the amount of water that flows by gravity through the canals, from one pump to the next, all the way to Los Angeles.
“A recently released technical report concludes that the sinking of land in the Central Valley due to over-pumping of groundwater, referred to as subsidence, has restricted the amount of water the SWP can deliver in a year by 3%. By 2043, if no action is taken, the current trajectory of subsidence, combined with climate change, could reduce deliveries by 87%,” the announcement said.
According to information posted by the Department of Water Resources’ California Aqueduct Subsidence Program, to maintain water deliveries, operators must move water more often during on-peak hours, which increases operating costs and limits the use of renewable energy sources.
“Since the SWP is the largest user of electricity in California, this impacts all Californians,” the CASP website said.
McNerney: ‘Develop a sustainable water system’
State Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, encouraged the Legislature to invest in alternative water supplies in a Wednesday statement. He contends that the tunnel will likely cost more than the expected $20 billion and will destroy nearly 4,000 acres of Delta prime farmland, along with salmon fisheries and tribal resources.
“California should develop a sustainable water system instead of the expensive and damaging tunnel that will not add a drop of new water to the system,” McNerney said. “The Legislature and governor should pursue alternatives that would cost far less and would safeguard California’s main water supply system without inflicting major harm to it, such as fortifying Delta levees and increasing water recycling and groundwater storage.”
Jennifer Pierre, general manager for the State Water Contractors, an association of public water agencies who depend on the SWP, acknowledges that the aging project needs upgrades. In a Wednesday statement, she highlighted a 2023 opinion poll that showed 76% of Republican and Democratic voters are in favor of the tunnel — 40% of respondents were strongly in favor and 35% somewhat in favor.
“Unfortunately, opponents have delayed progress on this project by taking every opportunity to object to routine, practical steps in the planning process.”
Jennifer Pierre, State Water Contractors
Pierre contends that having intake valves positioned above and below the Delta might allow water managers to better control the depth of the Delta waters as climate conditions swing more broadly between wet and dry conditions. She added that the tunnel project has been developed concurrently with an updated water quality control plan for the Delta, focused on restoration and data-driven science.
“The Delta Conveyance Project would allow for more operational flexibility, allowing water managers to balance the protection of species and habitats with water supply demand and availability. It would also protect dwindling groundwater supplies by capturing, storing and moving affordable surface water to the regions that need it most,” said Pierre.
“Unfortunately, opponents have delayed progress on this project by taking every opportunity to object to routine, practical steps in the planning process,” she said.
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